Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who has been identified by authorities as the suspect in the shooting, came to the US in 2021 under a program implemented by the Biden administration following the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
He was granted asylum in April by the Trump administration, multiple law enforcement officials told CNN.
Lakanwal arrived in the US on September 8, 2021, as part of a program called Operation Allies Welcome, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said last night. Biden launched the program in August 2021 to protect vulnerable Afghans following the US withdrawal.
Afghans admitted to the US under the program underwent extensive vetting, and those later granted asylum also underwent additional vetting before it was approved.
Lakanwal was evacuated by the US military in August 2021 following the fall of Kabul and arrived under humanitarian parole, the temporary authority used to evacuate tens of thousands from the country, according to AfghanEvac, a volunteer run, non-profit organization that helped oversee the process.
More than 190,000 Afghans have been resettled in the US, according to the State Department.
Most Afghans were allowed to enter and remain in the US for two years without permanent immigration status. More than 40% of those admitted to the program were eligible for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) because they took great risks to help the US, or were related to someone who did, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
In Lakanwal’s case, he previously served in NDS-03, one of Afghanistan’s elite counterterrorism units that was operated by the CIA with direct US intelligence and military support, according to AfghanEvac.
Initially, Lakanwal had an active SIV application underway and had received Chief of Mission (COM) approval but had not yet been granted lawful permanent residence. Instead, he applied for asylum during the Biden administration, but application was approved under Trump.
Both Lakanwal’s Chief of Mission application and his asylum application required review and vetting by the US government, including the CIA, according to AfghanEvac.
Before granting asylum, US Citizen and Immigration Services would have first reviewed Lakanwal’s identity and background checks, biometric vetting, in-person interviews and an assessment of individualized risk and eligibility under US law, the group notes.